Hush Now, Saintess! - Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Translator: Yonnee
—
Hildeon was about to respond naturally when he blinked in surprise.
Hestin clicked his tongue.
“Ah, I tried to slip that in naturally but you caught me.”
“What was natural about that?”
“You almost fell for it. Since you’ve caught me, I’ll ask outright. How about having a meal with the Saintess the next time you meet?”
A meal with the Saintess?
Hildeon briefly imagined himself dining alone with her.
The mere thought was suffocatingly awkward. And suddenly, it was hot.
“Are you feeling warm?”
“How did you know that?”
“Your face is bright red. Even a passing dog would notice. Could it be the curse’s influence…?”
“No.”
“Then that’s settled. You seem uncomfortable deceiving the Saintess. So, why not spend a longer time with her this time?”
“Wouldn’t that make me even more uncomfortable?”
“It might be better to make a firm decision after one or two significant meetings, rather than meeting briefly several times.”
At Hestin’s explanation, Hildeon nodded.
Indeed, it wasn’t a bad idea.
If they had meals together a few times, he could make up his mind quickly.
But then, another wall of worry confronted him.
“Hestin.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What does the Saintess like?”
The crucial wall of ‘selecting the dinner menu’ was before him.
* * *
“Make sure to manage the ledgers thoroughly. It’s a hassle if we get investigated again.”
“Yes, yes, I know. I don’t even need to see the real ledgers anyway, so what.”
In front of a building adorned with the sign <Hambar Pawnshop>.
Two menacing-looking men were having a conversation.
“Right, that’s true. Just keep an eye on the shop.”
“Okay, enough nagging, just go home.”
“You punk. I’m going first.”
“Take care.”
After a brief farewell, one man turned and disappeared back into the building.
Rustle.
Once they were sure no one else was around, two figures emerged from under the shadow of a dark tree.
It was Hildeon and Hestin.
“Why would they discuss the real ledgers outside the building?”
Hestin clucked his tongue in dismay.
It was careless to have such an important conversation outside the building.
“But this confirms it. They are definitely hiding something there.”
“Indeed.”
The two had come here because an investigation entrusted to the investigative team had failed once already.
But even the investigative team had found it suspicious.
“They brazenly told us to search. So, we searched everything thoroughly, but nothing turned up.”
Their boldness was suspicious in itself.
Usually, even those without guilt would be frightened.
However, despite the suspicions, it was difficult to continue the investigation further.
They had already searched several times but found nothing.
Digging deeper risked being seen as over-investigation.
But they couldn’t just ignore the suspicion and move on.
To hide something this thoroughly meant that being caught would lead to serious trouble, suggesting significant corruption.
As the crown prince, Hildeon could not just let this go.
Turning a blind eye now would be like ignoring a rot within the empire.
Moreover.
‘She was so pleased when I said I would investigate.’
It seemed impossible to face the person who had reported the case.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”
“…You’re really bad at lying.”
“Hestin.”
“When undercover, you should call me Hans. Don’t I call you Deon now?”
Hildeon closed his eyes, feeling dizzy.
It seemed better not to speak.
Watching his superior’s discomfort with a bit of teasing, Hestin turned his gaze back to the commercial building.
“Anyway, to think the real ledgers aren’t there. We’ve been completely wasting our time. Didn’t we also come up empty-handed today?”
“Now that we know the real ledgers aren’t there…”
As he spoke, Hildeon’s demeanor sharpened.
Instead of asking why, Hestin wisely toned down his presence.
Soon, a shadow of a person appeared near the building.
“That person is…”
The man emerging from the building was the same one who had seen someone off and then entered the building earlier.
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